While the reachstacker may be growing in popularity, the fork-lit truck is still an efficient, value-for-money container handler. John Bensalhia explains

It's an ongoing battle. In the port container handling ring, two opponents have divided port owners over their respective merits and pitfalls. In one corner, we have the good old-fashioned fork-lift truck – in the other, we have the more recent alternative, the reachstacker.

The reachstacker does have a number of benefits at its disposal. One advantage that it has is that because there is no mast at the front, this allows for better visibility. And because they are lighter, it can be argued that they have a greater capacity for flexibility – for example, a reachstacker can pick up empty containers with greater ease than a fork-lift truck. In the past, ICTSI's Captain Andy Andrews has argued, for example, that for a fork-lift truck to pick up an empty container, that box would have to be light and have pockets for the forks to go into.

But then the fork-lift truck is still holding its own against the reachstacker. Thomas Malmborg, vice president of Cargotec Fork-lift Trucks says that the FLT is highly adaptable. “General cargo terminals benefit from the versatility a forklift truck can offer,” he says. “With different attachments, forklift trucks can be used in most cargo handling situations such as handling pallets, paper rolls, coil rams etc.

“Most ports handle a variety of goods and we have gained success with our ability to offer great versatility, serviceability and safety. Our customer focused way of working ensures that we find the correct solution to each customer’s materials handling need.”

Mr Malmborg offers a good example of versatility in Cargotec products: “Forklifts for concrete handling can be fitted with a variety of attachments, including rotators, triple forks, quadruple forks and stone clamps. The Kalmar low-built forklift, for example, is an extremely versatile handling machine. Its “low-built” nature means that it can be driven directly into a standard height container. The low overall height is achieved by using a carefully designed mast together with a low built cabin.”

With regards to the best-selling Cargotec products, reliable and versatile Kalmar forklift trucks are used in load handling in a broad range of different industries and applications. This popularity depends on the customer’s industry and type of material they handle. Recently, Cargotec has had great success with its light range electrical fork-lift truck and its medium fork-lift truck, the new DCG90-180, which has received much attention and interest from its customers, says the company.

It's also worth noting that there are distinctions between fork-lift trucks and the tasks that they are used for. As Mikael Andersson, product specialist for Konecranes lift trucks says: “The FLT can both be a dedicated and a flexible handling solution provider.”

Mr Andersson offers examples of tasks for both types: “The dedicated FLT can be used for: Forks for universal cargoes to be handled; paper clamp truck; paper bale truck; brick clamp truck; coil ram truck (single, double or even triple) and magnet lift truck for steel slab.

“The versatile/flexible FLT’s could have the quick-change system or multi-tool system that also can be used for: short forks, medium forks, long forks with quick-change for different cargoes to be handled; and for add-on attachment with quick-change for different cargoes to be handled like paper clamps, paper bales, brick clamps, coil rams etc.”